Merry Bleached Christmas ONESHOT
by xsoraxrileyx
Summary: Christmas is only three days away! Orihime, being as festive as always, invites the whole gang to her house to celebrate. But will hateful family members prevent that? Will their Christmas have success? It's all so suspenseful!
1. Merry Bleached Christmas ONESHOT

**Well, here you are! Just as promised! THE BLEACH CHRISTMAS FANFICTION ONESHOT! **

**You're welcome!**

**I know that this is rather long for a oneshot, but it is still considered one. There is only one chapter, despite how long it is.**

**Special thanks to my friend Christine! (he gave me the Santa idea!) ^.^**

**Sorry it was published AFTER Christmas... I was going over it again... and again.**

**(I think that some people could get mad or happy at the end. Sorry, I was trying to think of the best way to conclude it, and this is what I thought of. I'm an Uryu lover, and this is what popped out of my head.)**

**DON'T THINK I WAS HIGH WHEN I WAS WRITING THIS! I was listening to Owl City, because I pick one band to listen throughout the entire time I was writing. I assure you I wasn't smoking anything...**

**Now, without further obstacle, I present:  
><strong>

**Merry Bleached Christmas (ONESHOT)**

Christmas was approaching fast, and not many people ailed to put up their Christmas decorations as the holiday was nearing.

Ichigo Kurosaki's room was the only room in the entire house that wasn't covered with cheery tensile, lights, or a tree. There wasn't even a sign of a mere figurine within his entire room. It wasn't that he hated Christmas; he just hated how happy everyone got over the hectic holiday. The worst part was that his father was one of those people that was full of Christmas spirit.

Despite Ichigo's gloomy opinion, his friends were rather enthusiastic about the important day of the year. That is, with the exception of Uryu Ishida. Uryu has nobody to spend it with because he refuses to spend it with his father. Instead, he normally spends the day reading.

Orihime was eccentric. She had decorated her tree and placed tensile on the rails of her staircase. She had even glued glitter to all of the ordainments on her tree. For the past five days, you would only see her in Christmas colors. Because of this, Keigo Asano only grew more attracted to her. He decked himself out as well in order to gain her attention, but this genius plan of his resulted in failure. Orihime merely looked at him as though he was an extremely odd person.

Rukia was in the Soul Society, where Christmas was a scarcely celebrated holiday. If gifts were given, it was usually something small and inexpensive. This being said, she decided to travel to the World of the Living and sneak into Ichigo's house to celebrate. After all, Rukia was well-liked at the Kurosaki household. She had gotten approval from Byakuya under a specific condition. She was to be escorted by Renji Abarai.

With a Hell Butterfly, they walked straight into the World of the Living. Upon arriving at the Kurosaki house, Renji and Rukia walked into it, as if they lived there.

"Hey, Ichigo! Get down here! Now!" Renji shouted as he took his shoes off.

Ichigo was in his room frivolously flipping through a magazine. He had thick earphones on, yet he could clearly hear Renji's voice through them.

"Renji?" Ichigo whispered in question. He slung himself out of the room and ran down the stairs, gliding his hand on the tensile-covered rail.

"Rukia!" He smiled.

"Hello, Ichigo, how have you been?" Rukia smiled at his presence.

"Fine, but, why are you here? Is something wrong?"

"No… not exactly." She looked down.

"Hi to you too, Strawberry…" Renji rolled his eyes.

"Are you talking to yourself again, Ichigo?" Isshin Kurosaki walked in. He was decorated with a Santa Clause hat and Christmas-tree covered pajama pants. His expression told Ichigo that a kick was coming, but then he spotted Rukia, "Oh! My daughter has come home!"

Rukia gave a fake smile; it only seemed real. After all, Rukia was a great actress.

"Hi, Mr. Kurosaki," she glowed.

Renji rolled his eyes at Rukia's performance.

"And you're a friend of Ichigo's, right?" he looked to Renji.

Renji flashed a glance to Ichigo, who figured out that it was a warning to go along with it. Briefly, Ichigo nodded to Isshin.

Isshin held out his hand to shake Renji's, "Well, then it's a pleasure to meet you!"

This was odd for Renji. He could have sworn that he had met Ichigo's father before, but a while of contemplation made him realize that he would always sneak into Ichigo's house unnoticed.

"Well, let's go to my room now!" Ichigo said to break the silence.

Isshin was in shock, "NO! Let's play a family game! My third daughter just came home, and we should be _bonding_!"

Ichigo punched his father in the face, "Why don't you shut the hell up?"

Rukia's expression changed, "Ichigo!"

Isshin was on the floor, "No… this… is… perfectly… normal…"

Ichigo walked in the direction of his room, being sure to step on his father in the process.

"I've… trained… you… well, son." He said out of breath.

Ichigo, Renji, and Rukia entered Ichigo's room.

"So," Ichigo started, "What do you want?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Rukia smiled, "We wanted to celebrate Christmas with you!"

Ichigo stood in shock, "Eh?"

"Alright, let's get one thing straight. I'm only here because Byakuya blackmailed m—I mean, he wouldn't let Rukia go alone…" Renji looked down to Rukia.

"Eh?" Ichigo repeated, "Why would you want to celebrate here? Doesn't the Soul Society go overboard with it?"

"Actually, no. Christmas is barely even celebrated there."

This surprised Ichigo. He had always imagined the Soul Society as a very festive place. But, then again, Head Captain Yamamoto was so much of a kill-joy that he probably despised holidays like Christmas and New Years. Perhaps he considered them a distraction?

Now that he thought about it, what did the Soul Society do when he wasn't there to disturb it? If they didn't celebrate holidays…

Did Yamamoto spend the day thinking of the next person he should execute?

He wanted to ask Rukia what they did in the Souls Society, but thought that the timing was inappropriate, ergo he kept quiet.

"I thought that people like Rangiku and Unohana would be all for holidays like Christmas." Ichigo hinted at the question.

"No," Rukia looked sad, "Christmas was labeled a distraction."

He looked to Renji, who nodded.

"But that's because it is!" Renji spoke, "It's pointless!"

"I wanted the chance to celebrate it for the first time, so that's why I came here. Just because _you_ don't want to know what it's like, Renji, doesn't mean that you can spoil it for everyone else. Why don't you just try it?"

"Like I said, it's a pointless holiday that _humans_ like. The only fun part about it, is to see six people fight over a $10 toy."

"Well, you can have all of my Christmas." Ichigo said acrimoniously, "I hate celebrating it. No, actually, I hate the enthusiasm of it."

"You don't have to be so negative about it. I mean, you certainly fell far away from your father's metaphorical tree."

"Hey, Ichigo!" It was Keigo Asano's voice that trailed into the window.

Ichigo ran to the window to see Keigo and Mizurio dressed in their school uniforms.

"OH, CRAP! One second, guys! I'll be right there!"

Ichigo frantically got dressed, not paying any attention to Renji and Rukia. He grabbed his school bag and ran downstairs. Exiting the house, he left Renji and Rukia in shock.

"What just happened?" Renji looked to Rukia.

"Oh, Ichigo's going to school." Rukia smiled a little disappointed. She felt it would have been a pointless effort to attend school, being that she hadn't been in quite sometime now. She sat on Ichigo's bed.

"You know," she started, "Ichigo doesn't seem too interested in us being here."

"Of course he's interested. It's _us_, we're talking about here. Who could be more interesting?" Renji rolled his eyes.

"I suppose you're right. I just hope he isn't mad at us or anything." Rukia looked down.

"No, he's not mad." He assured her, "But this is boring. What do you want to do while we wait for Strawberry to get home?"

"Wanna go through his room?" Rukia grinned.

"Kinda," Renji smiled in return.

***********************************Ichigo*******************************

Ichigo was trampled by Keigo as he closed the gate behind him. Punching him in the stomach, he moved on, nonchalantly. Keigo, being used to this sort of treatment got up and walked on, "Merry Christmas, loser!" He taunted. Ichigo noticed that he was wearing a Santa hat, and he had changed his shoelaces to green and red. After all, he had gotten in trouble for not wearing his school uniform yesterday. He was still trying to impress Orihime.

Mizurio was texting on his smart phone, "Merry Christmas, Mr. Asano."

"I wasn't talking to _you_, and what did I tell you about calling me 'Mr. Asano'?"

Mizurio said nothing, as if mesmerized by his phone.

"Don't ignore me!" Keigo stuck out his tongue and pulled at his eye-lid in an equivocal manner. Not that Mizurio would look at him anyway.

"Heh, you're as talkative as ever today, Keigo…" Ichigo rolled his eyes.

"I know! Isn't it great?" Keigo smiled.

"No, it's annoying."

"Heeeeeeeey!"

"Anyway, a teacher is going to confiscate the hat. There's a policy, you know."

"I know! But it's for-"

"If you want her that badly, then why don't you just ask her out?" Ichigo said dully.

"It's not like I have the opportunities that you have with her. I mean, you practically hang out with her _every_ day." Keigo cried.

"Just shut up. I do not."

"YES YOU DO! DENIAL! DENIAL!" Keigo pointed to Ichigo as if denial was some sort of contagious disease.

They reached Karakura High School before they knew it and entered.

Traveling all the way to classroom 1-3, they found many familiar faces.

Today was the last day before winter break, so of course everyone was a bit louder. Although, there was one silent character in the room. He was reading an extraordinarily long book. That would be Uryu Ishida, of course.

"Hello, Ichigo! Good morning!" Orihime called. She was wearing a tensile necklace and had dyed the tips of her bright orange hair green. Her blue hairpins sparkled under her Santa hat, and it made Ichigo blink. She, too, had gotten in trouble for failing to wear her school uniform, so she was wearing it today. However, she had stuck bows all over it, in attempts to make it as festive as possible. She had poked ordainments through the bottom of her skirt and they hung throughout the entire circumference.

_Did she not realize that they would break when she sits down?_ Ichigo thought.

"DENIAL!" Keigo shouted, and everyone looked at him as he was once again pointing to Ichigo.

Orihime was confused at what Keigo had said, but looked past that, "Hey! Nice hat!" she smiled.

"Thanks! I like yours too!" Keigo's face turned bright red, and he ran to where Mizuiro had taken his seat. "Did you see that? Did you see that? Orhime said she likes my hat!"

"That's nice, Mr. Asano." Because they entered the school building, Mizuiro's phone was in his school bag. He was now flipping through a comic book.

Ichigo looked to where Keigo and Mizurio were and rolled his eyes, _Keigo's such an idiot._

Orihime walked over to Uryu, and Ichigo followed. Soon Chad appeared and after many greetings and Christmas wishes, Ichigo decided to speak of the events of this morning.

"Wow, so they don't celebrate Christmas?" Orihime sounded disappointed and upset.

"No, apparently not." Ichigo said.

"That's interesting," Uryu said sophisticatedly, "You would think that people like Rangiku and Unohana would be eccentric for holidays like Christmas…"

"That's what I said…" Ichigo mumbled.

"Well, now we can celebrate Christmas with Renji and Rukia!" Orihime smiled.

"Yay…" Ichigo said sarcastically, "Unfortunately, they decided to spend it at _my_ house."

"What's wrong with that? I think it's kind of cool to have Soul Reapers spend Christmas in the World of the Living, and _you_ were their first choice!" Orihime smiled.

"Yeah, really cool…" Ichigo sarcastically smiled and stuck two thumbs up right under his chin.

"Well, if you don't want to have it alone with them, why don't we all spend it together? It will be so much fun! It will be me, Ichigo, Rukia, Renji, Chad, and Uryu!"

"I don't think I-" Uryu started.

"You know, I think I have someth-" Chad smiled hopefully.

"It's okay, I'll pa-" Ichigo sweated.

"GREAT! Then it's settled! We'll all spend Christmas at my house!"

"What? But Orihime I-"

"Be sure to tell Rukia and Renji!"

Before anyone could say anything, the bell rang and forced them all into their seats.

"Good morning, everyone!" Mrs. Ochi walked in and sat at her desk.

No response.

"Today is the last day before Christmas break! You know what that means, right?"

Everyone was on the edge of their seats, waiting for her to give them a treat or something of that nature.

"HOMEWORK! Yay!" She shouted enthusiastically.

Uryu was the only one that hadn't sighed or complained.

Mrs. Ochi stood and grabbed a piece of chalk. Writing a list of things on the board that they were to do, the room only seemed to get drearier.

There were a total of 26 things on the board. Each of those contained at least fifteen problems, if not more.

Ichigo, Keigo, and Orihime slammed their heads on their desks. They started to hate Mrs. Ochi.

Uryu, however, had already written all of the assignments on a piece of paper as to not forget a single one.

Chad just sat in his desk. He kept his eyes on the board and said nothing.

At the end of a tedious school day, Mrs. Ochi had said her good-byes and a general 'Merry Christmas' to the entire class.

Orihime disappeared from school, in intentions to get home and start decorating before Christmas. She had to get everything ready, of course. It was also convenient because nobody could stop her to tell her that her plans were just not going to work.

**********************************Uryu*********************************

Uryu gathered everything to complete his homework and begun to walk home.

_Great, now I have a reason to celebrate Christmas. If I skip out, she'll be mad at me. Ichigo will be mad because he would have gone, and I wouldn't have. And then there's Rukia and Renji, who I could care less about. And Chad, but I don't know how he'd feel, but I'm cornered here. Damn. I might as well finish my homework, though. Shouldn't be hard. I've already learned all of this. _He thought as he skimmed through the list of assignments once more.

***********************************Ichigo*******************************

_ As if I didn't hate celebrating Christmas enough._ He thought, _Now I have to spend it with the most Christmas-happy person on the planet. I'm tempted to invade the Soul Society, just so I DON'T have to celebrate it. _

_ Now I have to go home to more Christmas-happy people and spend time with them. The only safe person is Renji, but Rukia's probably going to get him excited about it, and then that ship will have sailed. _

_ Because of Rukia, I'll have to celebrate Christmas and be _happy _about it. Wait, it's really Byakuya's fault for letting her come! I'll be mad at him! Urgh, Byakuya!_

******************************Renji and Rukia*****************************

"Ichigo should be back any moment now!" Rukia shouted. They had destroyed his room in searching it.

"Quick, put everything back!" Renji smiled. Earlier, he had gone out to buy a porn magazine that he was going to blame Ichigo for having. Rukia protested, but Renji insisted that it would be hilarious. Finally, she just agreed, but noted that it was only in reluctance.

As if in a matter of minutes, his room was exactly how he had left it. Even the clothes that he had slept in were exactly in the same position that he had left them.

Rukia sat on the bed, while Renji looked out of the window, "He's coming! Where's the magazine?"

"I really don't care." Rukia rolled her eyes. She sank her teeth into a rice ball that Isshin had brought up for them.

Renji promptly found it and put it behind his back with one second to spare. Ichigo walked into his room with a heavy look about his face, and an obvious frown. He was clearly in no mood to be played with.

"Is something wrong, Ichigo?" Rukia sounded concerned.

"Orihime is insisting that we spend Christmas at her house." He found no purpose in hiding it. It involved them, anyway.

With that, Rukia only seemed to get happier, "Well, this is great! Will anyone else be there?"

"Yeah. Chad and Uryu will be there too. Well, that is if Uryu doesn't skip. If he does, I'm going to kick his ass."

"It will be the whole group!" Rukia sparkled.

"Yeah, fun." Ichigo and Renji both said simultaneously.

"Will, you two lighten up? This is supposed to be a very enjoyable holiday for humans. I want to experience it too, okay?"

Neither of them spoke.

"Fine, then it's settled. We'll go to Orihime's house for Christmas." Renji rolled his eyes, then smirked, "Hey, Ichigo, you naughty boy."

"What are you talking about, Renji." Ichigo looked at him, then Rukia, then back again.

"Well, you should find a new hiding place for these. What if one of your sisters found one?" He took the magazine from behind his back and showed it to him. The thick, black letters made Ichigo sink as he read them.

"Where… did… you… get that?" he said faintly.

Renji smirked once more, but said nothing.

"AND WHY WERE YOU INVAIDING MY ROOM?"

Rukia was innocently eating a rice ball, ignoring both of them as she went through a comic book on Ichigo's bed.

Renji smiled, "So you're admitting you have others?"

"That's none of your business…"

"Well, I guess we all learn a thing or two every day." Renji's smirk remained.

"Just shut the hell up," Ichigo punched straight through the magazine and into his face.

*********************************Chad**********************************

Chad walked to his house. Without fail he started to complete his homework. Noba jumped onto his table and watched in silence. Chad had indented on just watching movies all of Christmas day. Like Uryu, he had no one to spend Christmas with, and he wasn't exactly the social type. He would, however, go to Orihime's house and celebrate. He enjoyed spending time with Ichigo, Rukia, Orihime, Uryu and Renji.

He considered it somewhat of a reunion for all of his friends. Maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't think of his grandfather, and miss him only more. He could go… to take his mind off of things. This was perfect. He felt… _excited_.

***********************************Uryu********************************

Uryu threw his school bag across his entrance room (which landed quite nicely on his desk) in anger.

"ARGH! THERE'S NO FREAKING WAY OUT OF IT!"

He was steaming as he walked over to his desk and started to work on the assignments.

"The freaking formula is freaking Y equals freaking MX+ freaking B. Then when you get the freaking crappy answer, you have to freaking move it into freaking standard freaking form."

He was bearing down on the paper so hard that his pencil lead broke. He growled and threw it out of an open window, "Freak you, freaking crap pencil, crap!"

He realized that the pencil he threw was his last writing utensil and slammed his head on the desk, as he walked out of his house to find it.

He knelt on the grass under the window in which it exited and started looking for it.

"Why, hello there." An elegant voice sounded, "Looking for this?"

Uryu looked up to the figure that was holding his pencil, "W-what?" Uryu knew that figure. It was a figure he had hoped to never see again. It was a figure of a person that he hated.

"Hello, Uryu." Ryuken Ishida smirked.

***********************************Ichigo*******************************

"Ichigo! It's time for dinner!" Yuzu called from the other side of a closed door.

Renji, who was rubbing his nose in pain, shouted "YES! FOOD!" he slung himself out of Ichigo's room and down the stairs, passing Yuzu and nearly knocking her over.

Ichigo sighed, "Why are all my friends stupid?"

Rukia stood and punched Ichigo on the arm, "I hope you're not calling me stupid."

During dinner, Ichigo explained to his father that he, Renji, and Rukia would spend Christmas with Orihime. Much to Isshin's disappointment, he agreed.

********************************Orihime*********************************

Things were frantic. There were only two days left until Christmas, so she had to work fast. She baked cookies, ham, turkey, and cake, and then put them all together. She had to make enough for six people, so she kept on baking various things.

She wrapped all of the presents for her friends and placed them under the tree. She needed help. There was no way she would be able to do all of the festive things herself.

Suddenly, the idea popped into her head. She said the chant and small Shun Shun Rika appeared from her hairpins.

"Hello everyone! Could you help me?" She asked sweetly.

"With what?" Lilly smiled.

"I need to get ready for Christmas! Can you cook?"

"What do we look like to you?" Tsubaki growled, "We are not slaves!"

"Pretty please! It would help so much!"

"Sure!" Lilly smiled once more. Without hesitation, she picked up a spoon and flew over to a pot that was on the stove, as she started to stir it.

Tsubaki rolled his eyes and sat on the counter-top, "I'm not doing anything for you, girl."

As though completely ignoring him, the other Shun Shun Rika started working to help Orihime.

"Oh, thank you! Thank you so, so much!" Orihime exclaimed.

*********************************Uryu**********************************

Uryu remained close to the ground in shock, "Ryuken."

"Uryu, what have I told you? That is no way to address your father. Your arrogance and disrespect will be the end of you.

"Father, what are you doing here?" Uryu stood. This day only got worse and worse.

"I am here to collect you. A friend of mine is going on a cruise to America with his son and invited us. I mustn't go without you, so you are coming with me. His wife recently died, so he's going to keep his mind off of her. You don't do anything on Christmas, anyway."

"I'm busy. I can't go." Uryu rolled his eyes.

"I don't believe you. Now, come." Ryuken insisted.

"I really am busy. I'm not going."

"Oh, but you seem to misunderstand. I CAN'T go without you. It's not that I WANT to go with _you_."

"Why do you want to go so badly? You always said that you hate Americans."

"I said that I hate _stupid_ Americans. There are _some_ intelligent ones, you know."

"I don't care. I'm not going."

"If you do not go, I will remove all of your Quincy powers."

Uryu laughed, "As if you could."

Forcefully, Ryuken grabbed Uryu's arm and started to drag him away. Against Uryu's fighting, Ryuken still managed to take him out of his front yard. Uryu couldn't access his bow, for Ryuken was holding the bracelet-covered part of his wrist. He pulled Uryu into his car and closed the door. Locking it, he quickly drove away.

"Stop this car right now!" Uryu shouted.

"No, you are my son, and I am your father. I tell you want to do. It's not the other way around."

"I've already disowned you as my father, so this is all pointless." Uryu stated, "If you want to take a son, go adopt one that you don't hate."

"Perhaps I will adopt a son. I will also have you know that he will not be a useless _Quincy._" Ryuken stabbed the taunt straight through Uryu.

Uryu was furious as he tried to pick at the door in attempts to open it and escape.

"It's no use. This is a car that won't open when it's on. It's custom made."

"Sooooo, if you're ever car-jacked, you're screwed. Smart one, Ryuken."

Ryuken said nothing.

He finally arrived at the hospital that he owned, parked, and turned the car off.

Not two seconds after he had done that, Uryu tried to open the door and escape. Locked. He then pulled the tab which unlocked it. Locked. "WHAT?"

Ryuken smirked and turned around in his seat, "Child lock." He said simply, "Now, I understand that you will make a scene if I drag you trough the hospital. Because of this, you must be unconscious."

"What are you talking about?" Uryu started to panic.

"I'm talking about poisoning you."

"What? NO!"

Ryuken had obviously prepared himself for this situation. He pulled out a gas mask and put it over his head, as he turned on the car. He let it run until carbon monoxide filled it.

"Stop! Turn the car off! You're going to kill me!" Uryu tried to reach into the front to yank the keys out, but his father would not allow him.

Finally, Uryu just stopped. He sat in acceptance that he would probably die.

Ryuken stared at the cars that were passing him in the parking lot. They could not see that anything was wrong, for all of the windows were tinted. Nothing out of the ordinary appeared to those outside. After a while of waiting, he heard a _thud _in the backseat. He smirked.

*******************************Orihime**********************************

She felt somewhat bad about herself. Her Shun Shun Rika had taken all of the work, so that there was nothing left for her to do. She sat at the dinner table and watched them. They were really hard workers.

Tsubaki flew over to her and hit her on the cheek, "Why aren't you doing anything? You are so lazy! Leaving us to do all of the work! Why?"

Orihime cried in pain, "Not to be mean or anything, Tsubaki, but you aren't doing anything either."

"Shut up!" He hit her again, "You're missing the point!"

"I'm sorry! There's nothing to do, though! They took all of the work!"

Tsubaki hit her another time, "You could at least _ask_ themif they need something!"

"Fine! I'll ask them! Just stop hitting me! It hurts!" Orihime cried again.

She walked over and asked them if they needed anything, but they just said no. With her size compared to their's, she'd just be getting in the way. She then resumed watching them from a distance.

********************************Ichigo**********************************

Ichigo was bored to death. He had locked Rukia and Renji out of his room in punishment of their ventures whilst he was in school.

"Come on! Let us in!" Rukia's voice vibrated.

"If you don't, I'll break the door down!" Renji's voice was also heard.

Ichigo had no doubt that he could do this, but still refused to let him in. Besides, if Renji broke the door, Renji would be putting it back up. Ichigo would make him.

They would not shut up. Eventually, it got on Ichigo's nerves and he gave in to open the door for them.

As soon as he did, he was punched in the face so hard that he fell to the ground.

"Renji, what the hell? I was letting you in! Why did you hit me?"

"For not letting us in sooner." He smirked.

"Damn you…" he said, wiping the blood from his nose.

"Merry Christmas," Renji said sarcastically.

At ten p.m., Ichigo decided to go to sleep. He knew that if he was sleeping, Renji and Rukia wouldn't bother him. Because of this simple fact, he closed his eyes and drifted into unconsciousness.

*******************************Ryuken**********************************

Ryuken turned the car off and opened the door. He quickly took the mask off, for he didn't want anyone to notice anything suspicious. He smirked. After all, he had done what he needed. Of course it seemed a little crazy, but this had to be done. It was a trip to America! None the less, his friend had paid for his entire trip down to all of the food expenses. The only catch was that it was a father-son event.

He knew that Uryu hated him, and this much was very clear. Ryuken seemed to hate Uryu as well. He was a useless son, wasting his life as a Quincy: a race of no profit. Well, it would all change when he had to support a family. Then it would come to him, and he would give it all up.

But for now, he had to deal with his rebellious and insubordinate teenage son.

For his next plan, he was going to run in and demand a gurney for his son, whose low blood pressure was acting up before he went into shock and passed out.

He smiled. It was perfect.

Ryuken turned around and slipped the Quincy bracelet off of Uryu's wrist. He hid the gas mask in the glove box of his custom-made car. After hiding all evidence he struggled with his tie a little, making it look like he was in panic. He ran his hands through his hair, which messed it up and moved the bridge of his glasses down a bit.

He got out of the car and broke into a run. He reached the front desk.

"Oh, hello, Ishida! Is something wrong?" a polite lady looked up from her computer.

"We need a gurney! Now!" he purposely said it in an out-of-breath fashion.

"Okay! Okay! Where?" her face had turned serious.

"My car! It's my son Uryu!" Ryuken was playing with her like a toy.

"Okay!" she picked up a phone and dialed a number as if she knew it by heart. She spoke frantically in it. She had met Uryu before and fell in love; she thought he was the most precious and polite child she had ever seen.

Without a moment to spare, a gurney was next to Ryuken, "Where is he?" a Japanese medic spoke deeply.

"Follow me!" Ryuken said with panic, "Normally I'd take care of this myself, but this isn't in my area of expertise. He has low blood pressure, you see. I'm not a

Cardiologist and this just happened so fast. We were on our way to meet a friend to go on vacation in America." He spoke with rapid fire. He had seen panic so many times before; he could demonstrate it in his sleep. Being a doctor seemed to pay off fairly well.

They made it to his car, where the driver's door was slightly ajar. Ryuken slung the back door open to reveal the unconscious Uryu. It was a matter of seconds before Uryu was on the gurney and traveling fast towards the hospital.

Being that Ryuken was a doctor himself, they didn't bother to check what made Uryu pass out, only that they hooked him up to an IV as soon as they made it to a free room.

This all happened in a matter of _minutes _which assured that Ryuken's hospital was definitely still the top medical center of Karakura Town. Take that, Isshin. Ryuken rolled his eyes at the very thought of Kurosaki. Damn Soul Reaper.

***************************Next Day (Christmas Eve)***********************

Orihime had finished everything. There wasn't a single present left to wrap. There was nothing left to be cooked, and every inch of the house was covered in decorations.

And it was all thanks to her Shun Shun Rika, who were now resting in her hairpins.

Ichigo was eating breakfast, as were Rukia and Renji.

Chad had finally finished all of his homework. Noba even had the opportunity to help him in a few places.

Meanwhile, Kon lay under Ichigo's bed. He had been forgotten about by Rukia and Ichigo. Ichigo he could care less about, but Rukia? Rukia?

"RUKIA!" Kon screamed.

Yuzu, who was walking past at that time, heard the name of Rukia shouted and wondered what it came from. She walked into Ichigo's room. There were no obvious places that sound could have come from. So she looked under the bed where a single object lay still and lifeless.

"BOSTOV! What on earth are you doing under Ichigo's bed?" She took a firm grip on Kon's head and yanked him out. She ran to her room, and her first thought was to put a dress on him, "Oh, Bostov! You're parents have been so worried!" She placed him next to two odd looking animals. One of the animals was dressed in a dress that was nearly identical to Kon's, and the other was wearing a grey tuxedo which even had a pocket hankie.

Kon felt pure hatred for this monster of a girl. A man shouldn't be treated like this! This isn't right! And yet, she didn't see that.

**********************************Ryuken*******************************

All of the paramedics had left the room. That is, with the exception of Ryuken who smirked as he looked at his unconscious son, "See? I told you that I am your father. You are my son, and you must do what I tell you."

Slowly, Uryu's eyes opened. He was staring at the ceiling in confusion.

_Ryuken's hospital? What the hell am I doing here?_

"Ah, you're awake, Uryu! How pleasant is that!" Ryuken said sarcastically.

"Oh, yeah! You filled the car with carbon monoxide and nearly killed me!" Uryu's anger returned.

"So you don't have amnesia! That's good!"

"Cut the crap, Ryuken. I'm calling the cops." Uryu reached into his pocket to find his phone, but realized that he was wearing a blue hospital getup. His phone was in the school uniform he was wearing before he ended up here.

Ryuken smirked once more.

"That's fine. I'll just kill you, myself!" Uryu pulled his arms to form a bow, but there was no result. He looked to his wrist, where his Quincy powers resided; gone as well.

"Looking for this?" Ryuken twirled Uryu's bracelet around his finger.

Uryu was furious. Not only did Ryuken kidnap him, but he took his phone and his powers as well.

"Damn you!" Uryu growled.

"Now, come on the cruise with me."

"No way in hell, Ryuken. I'm getting out right now." Uryu stood, despite being hooked up to so many systems. He yanked the needles from his arms and ripped the plastic tube from his nostrils.

He stormed through the halls until he reached the waiting room (also the entrance)

"Oh, Uryu! What are you doing out of bed?" The lady at the entrance desk sounded scared.

"I'm leaving my careless, idiotic, arrogant, controlling father. No, not my father; I'm leaving that bastard, Ryuken Ishida."

"Whoa! Slow down there! You can't leave! Your low… blood…pressure-" She stopped. Uryu had already crashed through the revolving doors. Shoeless and dressed in hospital-wear, he ran. He had no doubt that Ryuken was behind him.

Of course, he would be back for his powers and phone, but that wasn't going to happen anytime before Christmas.

He ran past his house, Ryuken _would_ go there. Let's face it, Ryuken may seem smart and diligent, but underneath, he was lazy enough to first check the most obvious place.

His intentions lead him to the Kurosaki Clinic. Uryu had no doubt that ripping all of those IV's out wasn't exactly the healthiest thing for him to do. But would his pride allow him to walk in a house full of Soul Reapers? No, of course it wouldn't. But right now there was no other choice. He took a deep breath and walked through the front gate.

As he was about to ring the doorbell, a girly voice sounded, "BOSTOV! I'M SO HAPPY I FOUND YOU!"

Another voice was faintly heard from the other side of the door, "Will you two shut up? Okay, okay, Ichigo. Renji bought the porn magazine and blamed you, are you happy?" it belonged to Rukia Kuchiki.

"Finally! Now I know the truth!" Ichigo's voice was at its usual narcissistic tone.

"But you never denied having others, so in a way, you are still guilty." Renji's voice was muffled.

"My son! I'm so proud of you! You have naughty magazines! You're growing into a fine adult!" Isshin said boastfully.

It sounded as though someone was punched, "SHUT UP!" Ichigo shouted.

Uryu's legs were shaking. He still felt somewhat tired, and he was having trouble breathing. He struggled to ring the doorbell, as he hunched over to gain his breath.

"I'll get it!" The first girly voice glowed.

The door opened, and she gasped as she saw Uryu.

"If… it wouldn't be too much… could you…?" Uryu fell to his knees, gasping for air.

"Uryu!" Ichigo ran to the door and helped him up as he slung Uryu's arm over his neck, "Dad! Come here, quick!"

Isshin promptly arrived and helped Uryu into the clinic part of the house. He lifted the sleeved to see the remnants of improperly removed IV's, and gasped, "What did you do to yourself, boy?"

"I'm… sorry… but I had… to… get away…" He closed his eyes.

"Uryu! What happened? Where were you? What were you escaping?"

Uryu did not answer. Isshin was the one to speak, "Let him sleep, he'll explain when he wakes up."

Ichigo walked out of the clinic and into the room that contained Rukia and Renji. They were entirely clueless.

"What happened?" Rukia sounded worried.

"Who was that?" Renji looked to the door that Ichigo just came through.

"That was Uryu. For some reason he was in trouble, but he passed out before we could get any real answers."

"Well, I guess we just wait now. I wonder when he'll wake up." Rukia looked to the ceiling.

"There's no telling. To be honest, I consider this a very legit excuse to pass up on going to Orihime's house tomorrow." Ichigo smirked.

Rukia smacked Ichigo on the shoulder, "Stop trying to weasel out of it!"

"I'm only saying…" Ichigo said, rubbing his shoulder.

"You're such an idiot…" Rukia rolled her eyes.

"Okay, Uryu." Ichigo said sarcastically.

Rukia was displeased with his comment, but said nothing.

*********************************Orihime********************************

Orihime had dimmed the lights in her room. The faint sparkle of lights came through her doorway and illuminated a small fraction of it with separate colors. She was so excited for Christmas, but realized that she was missing one thing.

She hadn't written a letter to Santa yet!

If she didn't write a letter to Santa, he wouldn't give her what she wanted. Promptly, she found a pencil and paper and proceeded to write.

_Dear Santa,_

_ I know that you're busy with Christmas and everything, but if it's not too much, could you make sure that all of my friends come over? That's what I truly want. I don't care if I don't receive anything else. Just as long as my friends come. I hope that nothing happens to them. I wish for a year where everything could be normal, and our friendship would grow stronger, definitely not weaker. I know that you can do this, so please, do this for me. I'd also like to point out that I've been good all year. I feel really bad about hitting Ulquiorra in the face, but I hope that you don't use that against me._

_Sincerely, Orihime Inoue_

Satisfied with her letter, she placed it in an envelope and set it on the coffee table next to a plate of icing-covered cookies.

After this, she looked at the time. It was 11:55 p.m..

"Oh my gosh! Santa should be here any minute! I've got to get to bed!" She ran back to her room and threw the covers over her head. Within minutes, she fell asleep.

*********************************Uryu**********************************

While Uryu was sleeping, a bizarre dream surfaced.

Uryu was standing in Hueco Mundo. From every direction, there was no sign of any life. Not Ichigo. Not Chad. Nobody.

"Hello?" He called.

No response.

"What am I doing here?" he asked the question aloud.

There was evil laughter in the distance. Uryu wanted answers as to why he was here, so being in eagerness, he ran in the direction of the laughter.

In a matter of minutes he saw a flash of pink hair. He felt as though he was losing it, for he thought he saw a glimpse of some sort of replica of himself. The laughter sounded again.

Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his side. To which feeling, he grasped the affected area and threw up all over the sand.

"Urgh, who's there?"

Once again the laugher appeared. Another flash of pink hair indicated that there was only one person that that could be.

"Szayel Aporro!" Uryu growled.

There was more laughter, "Oh, hello there, Quincy boy."

Another sharp pain echoed within Uryu's arms. He recognized the area, for this place has needed fixing before. It was his ulna. Although this was nothing like before. Now it was completely _shattered_.

He screamed in pain and fell to his knees.

"Does it hurt? I'm sorry, but it's so much fun to watch you like this." Szayel bounced with excitement, then laughed once more.

"You're… SICK!" Uryu finally managed, as he decided whether to grasp his arm in pain or not. Either way, it hurt.

"Am I?" He laughed again, "How do you know that it's _me _who's causing you pain?" The laughter grew even harder, "How do you know that it's not-"

"Me?" Ryuken stepped out from behind Szayel Aporro and smirked as he held a voodoo doll that resembled Uryu.

"_Ryuken,_" Uryu snarled.

"Heh," Ryuken twiddled his fingers around in the doll, until he finally found what he was looking for. He held in up so that Uryu could see it, "Look at this. It's your heart." Ryuken crushed it, "Now, die."

Blood splashed out of Uryu's mouth and onto the ground.

From the pain, Uryu snapped his eyes open and found himself in the Kurosaki Clinic.

_Oh, it was only a dream. I can't believe I still have nightmares about that, but this is the first time Ryuken has ever been in it. Strange…_

Uryu's heart was still racing. Hearing the sound of the heart monitor, Isshin ran into the room, only to find Uryu awake and in a sweat.

"Is something wrong? What happened?" He had started to sweat himself.

"Oh, it was nothing. Just a bad dream." Uryu assured him.

"Alright, then. But are you awake yet, or would you like to sleep longer?"

"I think I'm okay now."

"Good, Ichigo's definitely on the edge of his seat waiting to know what happened. I'm only warning that you'll have to explain everything to him."

"I don't mind. Especially after you took me in so easily. I'm sorry to say, but my father wouldn't do anything like that for Ichigo."

Isshin said nothing for a moment. Thinking of another subject, "Well, we shouldn't keep him in suspense any longer. Ichigo!" he called. Isshin left the room to give them some sort of privacy. He would later ask Ichigo what was wrong.

Ichigo walked into the room. His face was worried, but he still seemed to appear calm, "So, you ready to explain?"

Uryu told him of everything that had happened before his arrival at the Kurosaki house. He did not, however, speak of his dream.

Ichigo stood in shock, "I didn't know that your father hated you that much. Why is that?"

"Probably because he thinks I'm wasting my life in being a Qunicy. He says that there is no profit in it."

"That's not true! Think of all the lives we've saved!" Ichigo protested.

"By profit, he means money, Ichigo. He's a cheepwad. Think about it, though, when have we ever received a single cent for our work. We only ever seem to come out injured."

"That may be true, but-" Ichigo stopped. He couldn't think of anything to argue further with. There was nothing else to say. Ryuken was right.

"Exactly. Everything Ryuken says seems to be so true." Uryu paused, "But I don't take anything he says to heart. I've already disowned him as my father. There is nothing that I will believe from him anymore. I have pride as a Quincy. You and I both know this, so I am obviously not going to give it all up just for the sake of what my father says."

"Well, even though there is no profit in it, we must promise to take care of this town. You, I, Renji, Rukia, Chad, and Orihime will all take care of Karakura town. No matter what."

"Are you talking about how awesome I am again?" Renji walked in with a statement and punched Ichigo on the shoulder.

"It's Christmas!" Rukia followed, laughing, "Finally! The wait is OVER!"

"Will you two go away?" Ichigo asked in anger.

"Sorry to come in and check too…" Renji rolled his eyes.

"He's fine, now go."

"So it's true," Uryu smirked, "You two are here."

"Well did you think I was lying?" Ichigo turned to Uryu.

"I don't know. You do seem to say some crazy crap." He pushed his glasses up.

"I swear I-"

"So when are we going to Orihime's house?" Rukia smiled.

Ichigo, Renji, and Uryu sighed.

********************************Orihime*********************************

Orihime awoke to the sound of her alarm clock.

She nearly screamed with excitement. It was Christmas! Nothing could go wrong now!

She ran down the stairs and to her coffee table. Both the letter and the cookies were completely gone.

"Santa! Santa came! Now all I have to do is wait! I really hope all of my friends come like I asked!"

*********************************Chad**********************************

Chad knocked on Orihime's door. He was excited, despite his facial expressions.

Within seconds, Orihime answered and smiled, "Chad! Thank you so much for coming!"

Orihime wrapped her arms around him in a hug.

Chad blushed, but you could not see it through his dark skin. She invited him in and offered him a seat. She gave him a plate of cookies.

Of course she would, she couldn't be happier that he came.

**************************Rukia, Renji, and Ichigo**************************

Forced by Rukia, Ichigo and Renji were both on their way. With Rukia by their side, they kept walking.

Uryu would be over later. Isshin had to finish one more check on him and _properly_ remove the IV's.

Ichigo was dragging his feet, "Come on, if we just run away now, she'll never find us."

Rukia kicked his feet and he tripped. He then hit the ground. Renji laughed.

"You're not going anywhere!" Rukia shouted.

They neared Orihime's house. Rukia had a grip on both Renji and Ichigo's shirts, so that they could not get away from her.

She rang the doorbell.

Orihime swung the door open, "Rukia! Renji! Ichigo! You're all here!"

Now all that was left was Uryu to come.

"Do any of you know where Uryu is?" Orihime looked a little worried.

"Oh, my dad is taking care of him. He had a little brush with his dad, but he should be here soon."

"What? Is he okay?" Orihime was purely concerned.

"He should be fine. Like I said, he'll be here soon."

"Well, okay. As long as he's okay. But, Rukia and Renji! It's been so long!"

"It has!" Rukia smiled, "How are you?"

"I'm fine! No, I'm perfect!"

"That's great!" Rukia's smile remained.

"Do you have any food?" Renji said hopefully.

"Oh yes!" Orihime ran into the kitchen as they all walked in.

"Hey Chad!" Ichigo sat next to him.

"Hey Ichigo." Chad's deep voice rumbled the silence.

Orihime came out with green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, and mashed potatoes for everyone. This was strange, though, because this food looked completely _normal_. This was nothing like Orihime. She obviously did not cook any of this. If she had, there would be something like ice cream in it. Because it looked so normal and delicious, Renji dug in.

"This is so good! Did you make this all yourself?" Renji smiled.

"Well, I did have a little help." She admitted. It was, of course, an understatement, because her Shun Shun Rika did _everything_. She didn't want to tell them that, though. Besides, she couldn't have cheated. The Shun Shun Rika were a _part _of her, right?

"I'll admit that I'm impressed!" Renji stuffed his face with green beans and potatoes.

**********************************Uryu*********************************

Uryu was finally disconnected from all of the systems.

"There you go, that was the last one." Isshin said as he put the needle in the sink.

"Thank you." Uryu stood, "Despite what Ichigo says… I think that you're a great father to your children."

"Huh? I've… never been told that before!" Isshin let a tear pass, "Thanks!"

Uryu smiled, "Well, I better get going. I should get to Orihime's house quickly."

Isshin looked to Uryu with a serious face, "You said you disowned your father because he was abusive to you?"

"That's not the only reason, but I suppose that is one of them."

"You couldn't be talking about Ryuken Ishida, could you?"

"How did you know?" Uryu was shocked.

"I'd know that bastard anywhere." Isshin rolled his eyes.

"Oh, so I'm not the only one that hates him. You know him?"

"Yes, sadly." Isshin frowned, "But that wasn't my point. I am a firm believer that no child should live with abusive parents."

"But I don't live with him." Uryu interrupted, "I live by myself."

"That's even worse! What I'm trying to say is, how would you like to be my son? If you think that I'm such a great father, and you don't have one…?"

"I don't think that's such a good idea. I mean, _Ichigo_ as my brother?" Uryu smirked.

"If you don't want to, it's okay. It was just an offer." Isshin sounded disappointed.

"I would like that, though. I've always wondered what it would be like to have a father around. One that would care for me." Uryu paused, "But I couldn't ask that of you! That would be too much!"

"Consider it a Christmas present from the Kurosaki's."

"You're really okay with this?" Uryu was getting excited. You really wouldn't expect him to, but after his last encounter with Ryuken… he felt as though this was something that he really wanted. He felt somewhat bad for accepting an offer that was so big, but he couldn't help himself. This was all happening so quickly.

"Of course; if not, I wouldn't have asked you."

"How is it possible? Technically, Ryuken still has custody of me. He wouldn't give the power to tell me what to do away so easily."

"That may be true, but there's nothing he can do if we state the truth to the police. He suffocated you with carbon monoxide. That's child abuse if you ask me."

Uryu smiled, "You're right."

"Besides, Ichigo and you aren't that far apart in age. How old are you?"

"I'm 16."

"Ah, the glory year," Isshin smiled, "Ichigo's 15… I think." The last part was obviously a joke, so Uryu disregarded it.

"So, you want to do this?"

"Y-yes!" Uryu gasped the answer.

"Merry Christmas, son!" Isshin cried with happiness, "Now go to your friend's house and tell Ichigo. I'll make this official when you're gone. Now this is a big decision, are you sure?"

Uryu nodded.

"Excellent! Now, you can borrow some of Ichigo's clothes, because I don't think you should travel in that." Isshin pointed to Uryu's hospital outfit.

"Well, I could just stop by my house on the way and grab something." Uryu suggested.

"That's not exactly safe, now is it?" Isshin's face was serious again, "If what you say is true, and your father is looking for you…"

"Oh, yeah."

"Here," Isshin walked out of the room and returned briefly with a set of folded clothes in his hands, "You can wear this. Ichigo never does."

Uryu slipped the clothes on. They weren't exactly his style, but they fit perfectly. He straightened his glasses and smiled, "Thank you… Dad."

He then closed the door behind him, and broke into a run. There was to be no time wasted. He was already late, and with Ryuken out here, he wasn't going to take any chances.

Within a matter of minutes, he was on Orihime's porch, ringing the doorbell.

*************************Inside Orihime's House***************************

The doorbell sounded, and everyone jumped.

"That must be Uryu!" Orihime sparkled. She got up and ran to the door. Opening it, revealed an Uryu who was dressed in odd clothing for _his _style.

"Uryu!" Orihime shouted. She hugged him, as she had done for everyone else. The faint smile of great news had not left him, "You seem happy! That's great! What's so amazing! Please share!" Orihime was over-excited.

"Ichigo, your father," Uryu grabbed his attention, "adopted me."

"What?" there wasn't a single person in the room that wasn't shocked.

"You're kidding!" Ichigo shouted. Something like this wouldn't happen; not with Uryu.

"I'm really not." Uryu was serious. He wouldn't joke this kind of thing.

"So, if this is true," Rukia started.

"Then Ichigo and Uryu are _brothers_." Orihime smiled.

Ichigo looked to Uryu desperately, but there was no change in his expression.

********************************Epilogue********************************

Upon finding out the news, Christmas only seemed to get happier. Ichigo knew that Uryu was suffering with Ryuken, so he felt somewhat happier for him. It's true that Uryu could be a pain at times, but Ryuken didn't deserve a person like Uryu. And it was the same the other way around.

Ryuken lost custody of Uryu, which all went to Isshin Kurosaki. However, Ryuken managed to stay out of prison. He talked the judge out of pressing charges. He merely went on with life.

Although Uryu is now a part of the Kurosaki family, he decided to keep the last name of Ishida. Isshin agreed to this, as to not anger Uryu in any way.

Christmas went extremely well. Nothing made it even remotely bad. There wasn't any Hollow activity throughout the entire day, and they were able to stay in Orihime's house and enjoy friendly discussions of life and wellness.

Afterward, Rukia and Renji returned to the Soul Society to tell everyone of the entire adventure that they had. Because of their great and exciting tales, Unohana and Rangiku decided to start celebrating Christmas, for they wanted to experience this as well. Throughout the entire Soul Society, Christmas would be the best time of the year. Yamamoto was reluctant to agree at first, but after their constant complaints, he allowed this. He would later plan their executions (that was a joke by xsoraxrileyx, so don't get the wrong idea). Of course, Rukia and Renji would have to tell exactly how Christmas was celebrated in the World of the Living.

Nobody cares about Kon, seeing how he was unequivocally forgotten. Poor Bostov.

****End (Oh yeah, Have a Merry Bleached Christmas!)**

**Thanks for reading! Please review! ^.^  
><strong>


	2. And a Happy Bleached New Year! :sequel:

**Hey Guys! So, nearly a year later, I finally post this chapter I promised long ago. I guess it makes sense to post it now, seeing as it's close to Christmas and all... yeah... so... yeah.  
><strong>

**Well, I suppose an A/N like this isn't really much, and I'm not sure what you want me to say. Oh! I should tell you. I got extreme writers' block right around the end, so it was very difficult for me to write more of it, and this story had the potential to be longer, however my brain-type-thing failed me, and made it hard for me to complete it. And for that, I apologize. I think after this chapter, I'm pretty much done with this story for good.  
><strong>

**Sorry.  
><strong>

**But there's not much else to do. SOO, I hope this is a satisfactory sequel! Yahoo!  
><strong>

**And a Happy Bleached New Year! (Sequel)  
><strong>

Uryu opened his eyes to a new day. It had been two months of living at the Kurosaki house and he had to admit that he enjoyed it more than any other place he had ever lived.

He promptly got dressed and ready for school. He brushed his teeth and put his shoes on.

In living at the Kurosaki house, he had his own room that had once been a guest room. It was nothing like an entire apartment to himself, but it was better than living alone. Yes, it was much better than that.

He walked past Ichigo's room on his way out of the door. Faint snores could be heard and Uryu rolled his eyes. He never really liked the idea of a Substitute Soul Reaper as a brother… especially since it was Ichigo.

"Ichigo," he walked into the room where the snores were audible, "wake up. You have to get ready for school."

"Um, Uryu?" Yuzu called from behind.

Uryu turned his head around and saw a smaller figure starring up at him. He raised his eyebrows.

"Are you hungry? Want something for breakfast?"

Uryu smiled. Before he was a Kurosaki, he had never been asked that question in the mornings. Though now it was something he heard everyday.

"Yes, thank you, Yuzu." He bowed in politeness.

Yuzu blushed as Karine caught Uryu in a bowing position.

"Hey!" She hit her brother over the head, "Stop being formal with her, Four-Eyes! You're her brother! Act like one, you idiot!"

Uryu quickly straightened and rubbed his head, "Yeah, sorry…"

"What's with all of the noise?! I'm trying to sleep!" Ichigo woke up from all of the disturbances.

"Well, stop trying to sleep! We have to go to school today, or have you forgotten that today is Friday?!" Uryu shouted.

Ichigo rolled his eyes, "You are all idiots. Today is Saturday." He slammed his head in his pillow and closed his eyes.

Uryu smirked as he pulled the covers off of him and threw them across the room, "You're going to make me late! Now get your lazy ass out of bed before I kick it!"

Ichigo turned over and mumbled, "Empty threats." As he fell asleep again.

_Urgh, I have no time for this…_ Uryu thought to himself as he walked out of Ichigo's room and down the stairs. Yuzu had already started making breakfast and Karine was sitting at the dinner table rather… un lady-like. Uryu sat down with the proper manners that he had been raised with and looked around the walls that were scarcely decorated. He thanked life that he now had a father. A family… even if it was a family of Soul Reapers. He smiled a bit. Two months away from Christmas now… how the time had flown. It was all too quick… as if everything changed instantly. He never had to see Ryuken again, and Isshin was a person that he could freely call his father. Why was it that someone else's father loved him more than his own? Why was it that someone could accept him so easily? Someone like him… a Quincy. How could someone that he told he hated ever be willing to let live in his house?

Of course it was Ichigo's father… but he was never able to understand why he was so accepted. Why… they even loved him. Love was a concept that he vaguely remembered. It was something that had disappeared for a very long time. Only to appear now, eight years after the only person who loved him had died. He… just didn't understand why life was so much better now. Maybe… there really was a God.

"Hey, Space Cadet," Karine looked over to him, "back to earth, please?"

Uryu shook his head and looked to her. She was disrespectful; that much was certain. It must have provided entertainment for others, though.

Ichigo walked into the kitchen. He was still wearing his pajamas and rubbing his spiky orange hair.

All eyes shifted over to him.

"Hey, it's Friday… you guys better get ready for school." He said as he sat down at the table.

Karine and Uryu rolled their eyes.

"There is no limit to how dumb you can be…" Uryu looked away.

"What was that, Four-Eyes?!" Ichigo shouted, fully awake at his insult. Ichigo was only sometimes annoyed by Uryu as his brother; however Karine and Yuzu were thrilled to have another sibling. Another person to look up to.

Uryu even taught Yuzu how to sew, and she couldn't stop. She constantly asked Ichigo if any of his clothes had holes that needed her stitches.

A few weeks ago, when Uryu saw that Yuzu liked sewing so much, he told her, "If you like sewing so much, I could teach you about patterns and you could make your own clothes."

Yuzu was thrilled at the idea, "R-really?! Thanks! I would love that!"

So he did.

He taught her everything that he knew about patterns. Every technique that he learned, developed, and created. He gave her full-time access to his sewing machine and spare fabric.

Uryu noticed that Yuzu had a talent for it. Just as he had when he was her age.

He really liked Yuzu as his sister. She was _his _sister. He never knew that having younger siblings could be so much fun. That… being the oldest of four could be so… so wonderful.

Karine enjoyed having him as a brother, too. Perhaps not in the same way as Yuzu, however. She definitely liked to pick on him. For a while, he wondered if Karine treated Ichigo the same way.

"GOOOOOOOOOOD MOOOOOOOOORNING, CHILDREN!" Isshin jumped and landed on the table making the glass of ice water that Karine was drinking spill on Ichigo.

Ichigo sprung up, "Dammit, Dad!" He punched Isshin in the face.

Uryu smiled. _Typical morning_, he thought.

"That was cold, Ichigo."

"SO WAS THAT DAMN WATER!"

Isshin rolled his eyes, "You're as much as a morning person as always. Good morning Yuzu, Karine… Uryu" Isshin smiled upon his children.

"As immature as always…" Karine retorted.

"Good morning, Dad!" Yuzu looked up from the eggs that she was frying.

"Good morning, Father." Uryu looked to him.

"You've been here for how long now? You don't have to call me 'Father'! It makes me feel like I have polite children! That's not how I raised you kids!"

Uryu glanced at Karine then Ichigo. He understood the disrespect now, "Sorry… it's just Ryuken would require me to-"

"I thought that we agreed that Ryuken was a Four-Eyed, rich, son-of-a-" Isshin stopped when he glanced to Yuzu and Karine who were staring at him in shock, "You can just call me 'Dad', you know."

Uryu smiled and looked down, _Yes, this really is a typical morning…_

Uryu laughed, _Thank you. Thank you for giving me a father that cares. Thank you for everything. _

Uryu wasn't really sure who he was thanking, but whoever it was who gave him this beautiful life, he was thankful to. More than thankful. He couldn't describe what it was he felt towards this life that he now owned… but it was better than mere thankfulness.

Ichigo slapped his father in the shoulder for his last say in the matter then left to ready himself for school.

Isshin stepped off of the table and sat in a chair, "Hey Uryu."

Uryu looked to him, "Yeah?"

"I forbid you to have a clean room. Go mess it up right now. Throw your dirty clothes on the floor. Tip over your mattress. Do something to it."

Uryu smiled, "I like to keep organized, Dad."

Yuzu brought the food over the table and sat down, "Leave him alone, Dad. My room is clean, and you never tell me to do otherwise."

"Well, the boy needs to be slightly less mature when he is living in the Kurosaki house. Don't you know how to have real fun, Uryu?"

Uryu looked down. He _did_ know how to have fun. Not that they would consider what he does fun at all…

"I'll take that as a no." Isshin stood and pointed to the ceiling, "Never fear! Tomorrow is Saturday and I don't have to work! We're going to the park to have a picnic."

"That's not fun, Dad." Karine protested.

"WHAT?!" Of course it is!" Isshin sighed, "Youth these days. Fine, bring your soccer ball and invite your friends. Uryu, you can invite yours too. We'll have a soccer tournament!"

Uryu didn't like the idea very much, but he'd give it a try if it meant spending time with his family.

* * *

><p>Uryu and Ichigo left the house and ventured to school.<p>

"A soccer tournament? That's stupid! What is the old man planning?" Ichigo said as he kicked the ground in frustration.

"You know, it might be fun if were allowed to use our abilities." Uryu sighed, "But unfortunately, we can't."

"That's already been done, though." Ichigo rolled his eyes, "And it wasn't fun at all."

Uryu looked down. He didn't understand why Ichigo wouldn't want to do something with his family.

They walked through the front doors of the school that they attended everyday. Karakura High School.

And like everyday, they were first greeted by Orihime who smiled as they sat in their seats.

"Hey, Orihime, Chad," Ichigo started.

"What's up, Ichigo?"

"Tomorrow my family is going to the park to have some 'bonding time' according to my dad… Want to go?"

"Yeah! Sure!" Orihime smiled.

"I'm free." Chad's deep voice implied that he was able to go.

Uryu smiled so that none of the others could see. He was happy that Ichigo invited them… or even acknowledged that he was going at all.

_Heh, what's happening to me? I now find enjoyment in the most simplistic things. How unlike me. _Uryu thought to himself, _But I guess this is what having a family does to you. You start to care._

As the day passed by, Uryu found it hard to focus on the lesson of the day. Excitement? No, surely not. That wasn't Uryu. This was a whole new person. A person changed by a crazy family that was far from what he grew up with. _Extremely _far.

What would Ryuken say about Uryu's new family. Uryu was sure that Ryuken had his thoughts about the Kurosaki's. Not one of them good. Ryuken was a jerk, and that's all he'd ever be. Why… did he hate his own son? Why was it… that things were awkward when he was around? Nothing ever made sense to Uryu that had the slightest hint towards his biological father. Uryu, perhaps, would never understand him.

But why worry about an insignificant pest like Ryuken Ishida? No reason at all. He wasn't even worth his thoughts.

And Uryu swore to God that he would never go back to Ryuken. Never.

* * *

><p>The bell finally released the high school students from a not particularly hard school day.<p>

Although Uryu and Ichigo walked to school together, they never walked home with each other. Uryu always went straight home, when Ichigo would get stuck to hang out with Keigo and Mizurio.

When Uryu finally made it off of school grounds, he darted at a faster pace. Thinking of Ryuken made him uneasy. As if life was too good to be true. As if it could be snatched away from him in an instant.

He couldn't even think about it.

Suddenly, Spiritual Pressure descended upon him, and he flinched. A Hollow? Ichigo could probably handle it.

He walked on, ignoring the sickening feeling of it.

Wait. Did he just think "probably"? No! Ichigo could definitely handle it!

Listening to the pattering of his own footsteps to the pavement, he quickly spun around.

_Urgh, I'm too much of an introvert for this._

The Hollow's Spiritual Pressure wasn't far, and he was more than likely closer to it than Ichigo, so it was logical to kill it himself. J-just to be safe, right?

The roaring and howling was getting louder as he approached it.

As he turned the corner, the Hollow was much larger than he expected. Taken aback, he nearly fell backwards. Ichigo was not here yet.

_Probably couldn't feel the Spiritual Pressure… and was clumsy enough to leave his badge at home._

The Hollow saw Uryu and went for the attack. Though, Uryu quickly dodged it, jumping into the air and firing at its mask point-blank. However, the Hollow was quicker and cast the arrow to the side. This spoiled Uryu's plans of being able to land softly on the ground. Miscalculating his position in the air, stunned by the skill level of this Hollow, he fell on his back. He heard a snap in a few places before he could say anything.

The Hollow stepped closer and hung his head over Uryu, "_Quincy, huh? Well, you're about to die pathetically… just like the rest of you!"_ The voice resembled a snake of sorts. The hissing sigh of pure taunting stung Uryu as much as his now aching bones. He took notice of the wind that had been knocked out of him.

The Hollow closed in on him, as Uryu slowly shut his eyes.

"Hey, Hollow. Before you kill off my brother, can you at least answer to me?" Ichigo shouted as he swung his giant blade at the Hollow's face. Slightly scratching it, the Hollow disappeared from the World of the Living in fear of death.

"Uryu. You okay?" he asked.

"I-Ichigo." Uryu managed to get out. Regaining his breath was a difficult task. Though, as he did so, he felt the crunch of his left leg and his side. A rib, perhaps? He moaned in agony. A Hollow. A mere Hollow did this. Why was Uryu so stupid to have done that? To have gone after something that Ichigo easily handled? What was he thinking?! Now… all of this pain… was because of his ignorance.

"Urgh, You're not." Ichigo sighed, "I'll get Orihime."

"No, Ichigo. I'm fine." Uryu's pride wouldn't allow him to just sit here and accept defeat. Not after what that Hollow had done.

"Oh, you are, are you?" Ichigo rolled his eyes, "Then get up. Let's go home."

Uryu sighed and opened his mouth as to some up with a quick excuse… but nothing surfaced. Finally, he just decided to say a simple excuse, "Fine, I will. After you get back into your Gigai."

"Just as I thought. You _can't _get up. Just let me call Orihime." Ichigo got out his cell phone.

Uryu planted both of his hands on the ground beside his hips and started to arch his back into a sitting position.

_BAAM!_

The crushing feel of shattered bones forced his back to slam back to the ground, sending a shock of pain throughout his entire body.

Ichigo was purely concerned. Agitated, too. Uryu was stubborn, and after all of this time, Ichigo realized that it would probably always be that way. Uryu was the type of person that couldn't rely on others. No, he _didn't want to_. Even after gaining a family that he could trust. Perhaps, his father really was horrid. That forced him to only trust himself. Only him verses the world, right? What was his problem?

Uryu clenched his side. Clearly, it pained him.

"Where all do you hurt, Uryu?" Ichigo sighed the question. Sometimes, he thought Uryu was more trouble than he was worth. But he _was_ worth having as a brother.

"I'm not-" Uryu tried.

"Cut the crap, Uryu. I can tell that you've got a couple of broken bones. We can do this the easy way or the hard way. We can heal you quickly with Orihime, or we can take you to Dad, and you can heal like a normal human. Your choice."

Uryu rolled his eyes and stared up at him, "You really are a pain, Strawberry."

"And you are more trouble than you put off, Four-Eyes." Ichigo returned to his Gigai in order to retrieve his phone, and then proceeded to call Orihime without receiving Uryu's answer.

Uryu gave him a look of protest, but Ichigo looked in the opposite direction and pressed the phone to his ear.

"Yeah, hey… Yeah, uh-huh… Look, Uryu's been attacked by a Hollow…" Ichigo gave a face that implied that Orihime didn't take that information well, "Could you come?... About a block away from school… Yeah that's the one… Thanks. Bye."

Ichigo pushed a button on his phone and shoved into his pocket along with his hands.

"Now, we wait." Ichigo looked away, for he couldn't stand to see Uryu like this.

Surely not _Uryu_. This position was odd for him. It seemed to always be the other way around.

In a matter of minutes, Orihime arrived on scene.

"Soten Kisshun," She whispered.

Uryu's pain eased within seconds. He swore that he would shoot Ichigo later for making Orihime waste her Spiritual Pressure on a person like him.

"What's with the look? Stop beating yourself up, Uryu, you _are _worth the healing, so just shut up and accept it." Ichigo started toward their home.

"Hey, I didn't say anything!" Uryu shouted, leaning in Ichigo's direction.

"Please, Uryu, you have to be still!" Orihime's voice shook. The yellow barrier between her and Uryu glistened in her eyes.

"Yeah, sorry." Uryu apologized. But, how did Ichigo know what he was thinking? Was his expression really _that _easy to read?

"Uryu, do you really think that you're not worth saving?" Orihime was on the brink of tears. It was a thought that passed her mind often, but it only applied to herself. That _she _wasn't worth saving. That _she _was useless to everyone. But why would Uryu have those thoughts? Why would Uryu think that he wasn't worth it when he was clearly more useful to everyone than she was?

Uryu hesitated. He could say any wrong answer here. Not able to look her in the eyes, he spoke swiftly and softly. A mere whisper, "Well, I just proved that, didn't I?"

Orihime gasped and Ichigo turned around.

"What did you say?!" Ichigo snapped.

Uryu knew Ichigo heard, so he didn't bother repeating himself.

"Well, if you really feel that way," Ichigo smiled, "Let's go, Orihime. Uryu is completely worthless, right? Leave him to heal on his own. Besides, what use is a Quincy, anyway?"

Orihime turned around and looked at Ichigo curiously, "Ichigo?"

_I know that he's kidding, _She thought, _but is he really going to go through with leaving him here? Uryu won't put up a fight with what Ichigo said, so he'll let us leave… but—_

"I'm glad you agree with me." Uryu closed his eyes.

Orihime's healing shield shattered from her lack in concentration, but Ichigo wanted that to happen anyway.

"Now listen," Ichigo kicked Uryu in the side that wasn't injured with a broken rib.

Uryu yelped and moaned under the pressure of the pain, grasping his side as quickly as he could.

"You know, it took me a while to get used to the fact that my father adopted you, but now you're just being irritating. You're _not _worthless, and there is not one person that thinks that you are, so just shut the hell up with the 'I'm useless' crap!" Ichigo rolled his eyes and put his foot on the ground, "I know you love having a family. I know that you love having sisters and a father, and I know that you can tolerate me, so just accept that you are somebody. You _are_ a person, and if you contradict me one more time, I'll kick you again!"

This shut Uryu up. Everything that Ichigo said—he couldn't disagree with any of it.

"Now," Ichigo started back up, "Orihime, finish up, and then we'll all go home, okay?"

Uryu shot Ichigo a look of despair, but didn't say a word. The thing he wanted most was to go home, eat dinner with his family, sleep, and have a good day tomorrow.

* * *

><p>After Orihime completed healing Uryu, they departed as though nothing happened.<p>

Ichigo and Uryu walked in silence. Not one word was heard between the two. Only the constant ringing of quietness. Despite the awful events, it was a beautiful day. The birds were still chirping as the sun fell to the ground. In a nearby park, children were being called to come home for dinner. Several indistinguishable names rang from older adults. And the protests of leaving the game complimented those names. The sky was melting into blackness, starting from the top layer of beautiful atmosphere. Only a few stars could be spotted over the glaring brightness of the streetlights. It was warm, with a fresh breeze that curled as it touched their skin.

"Ichigo," Uryu broke the jagged silence.

"What is it?" Ichigo answered.

"Thanks."

"For what?" he placed his eyes on Uryu's face.

Without returning his gaze he answered, "For everything. I don't know if I ever did thank you, but I will now. Thank you for accepting me as a brother. Thanks for allowing me to live in your home. I thank you for sharing your wonderful family with me… and thank you for… telling me what I suppose I wanted to hear most."

Ichigo's eyes grew wide as he quickly stared in the direction that he was walking, "I accepted you as a brother because you didn't have a family. I'm not the one who adopted you; you should be thanking Dad for allowing you to live in our house. It's not _my _family, it's _our _family. And I told you that, because your pride annoys the hell out of me."

Uryu cracked a smile, "You'll never change."

"You're right." Ichigo paused and looked down, "But neither will you."

With a gasping laugh Uryu spoke softly, "Never."

* * *

><p>"ICHIIIIIGOOOO! URRRRRYUUU!" Isshin greeted them as they stepped through the front door and kicked their shoes off.<p>

By greet, he kicked Ichigo in the face and punched Uryu in the stomach.

"It's past seven! What were you two doing?!"

Ichigo returned the kick in Isshin's gut, "We were late from school!"

"That much is obvious! Were you two out on a double date or something?!" Isshin shouted.

Uryu blushed and Ichigo rolled his eyes, "No," Ichigo sighed.

"Common', Dad. Does it really look like Four-Eyes or Carrot-Top could get a girl?" Karine walked up and patted her father on the shoulder.

Yuzu ran to the door where everyone was, "Dad! You didn't have to hit them!"

"They're growing men, Yuzu. They need to be punched and kicked once in a while."

"But not if you do it everyday!" Yuzu cried.

"What was that about not getting a girl?" Ichigo looked to Karine.

"Almost makes me wonder where the third stooge is… where's that red-head with the ponytail?" Karine smirked.

"Please don't classify me in with that idiot." Uryu thought of Renji and gagged a bit.

Yuzu hugged Uryu and Ichigo together, "Good to see you! Did you have a good day at school?"

"Uryu, I'm not used to seeing you coming home this late. What did that delinquent Ichigo do to you, son?" Isshin looked sad.

Uryu smiled upon Yuzu, then returned his stare to Isshin, "I had an after school activity, but I got injured and had to go to the nurse. Ichigo waited up for me, but everything is fine now." He smiled.

Isshin examined Uryu closely, "You were what?! Injured?! What happened?!"

Ichigo looked to Uryu promptly.

"M—my hand was caught in the sewing machine. It didn't hurt that bad, but the supervisor wanted me to go to the nurse." He covered.

"Oh," Isshin sighed, "So you're fine?"

"Yes sir." Uryu smiled.

"What did I say about-"

"Yes, Dad."

Isshin returned the smile, "Well, dinner is almost ready, right Yuzu?"

"Yeah!" Yuzu sparkled.

"Well, you know what that means!" Isshin ran to the kitchen and slammed his butt into a chair.

Ichigo and Uryu followed, along with Karine.

* * *

><p>Dinner was as unusual as the Kurosaki house could pass off as normal.<p>

Uryu walked to his room and headed for his sewing machine. He had started a design the night prier and wanted to finish it. To his surprise, something didn't feel right. As though something was missing.

"Uryu," Yuzu stood in the doorway.

Uryu stood from his chair and turned around.

"I hope you don't mind, but I used your sewing machine. You had something loaded into it already, but I couldn't leave it alone, so I moved it to the side. Carefully though! Then you had some blue thread in it, but I needed to use the purple, so I took it out and put it on the table. It must have fallen off or something. I was going to leave it how I left it, but I couldn't find the thread that you had… and… I'm really sorry!" she looked down.

Uryu smiled, "It's fine." He walked to his case of thread that resided on his other desk, "That was the last spool that I had of _that _thread, but I'm sure this will match it nearly the same, don't you agree?" He held up a nearly identical color of what she had lost.

Yuzu smiled, "Yes! And I'm sorry again. If you want, I can look for it."

"It'll surface eventually." Uryu loaded the blue ribbon into the sewing machine, carefully hooking the thread over every piece, "The important thing is," he tapped the petal, locking it in place, "that you show me what you made."

"W—what I made?! Oh, no! It's nothing compared to what _you _make."

"No, I have some pretty tough competition, Yuzu. I might just be the runner up. But we'll never know if you don't show me." Uryu smiled tenderly as he placed his project in the place where he had left off and held his foot to the petal. He shifted the fabric, leaving careful stitches in a straight, precise line.

"I'm warning you." Yuzu left the room and returned quickly with her hands behind her back. She walked up beside Uryu and waited for him to look up.

Uryu slowly lifted his foot and pinched the thread, moving it to the side as for it to not tangle up. He looked to her and waited to see if what he taught her was valid.

Yuzu took out a stuffed lion that lay motionless in her hands. It had been dressed in a beautiful purple gown that resembled that of the Victorian age. It was, without a doubt, very similar to a work of Uryu. The stitches were fine down to the smallest detail. The sequence was carefully sewn to line the bottom of the fabric. This wasn't one of his patterns… had she made this herself?

"This is Bostov. I made this dress for him. I tried not to use a pattern, but it didn't turn out as good as I envisioned."

"Are you kidding me?! This is better than anything I made when I was your age! I'm really impressed!" Uryu smiled, a bit jealous.

"You really think so?!" Yuzu automatically brightened and perked up.

"Oh, yeah. You're nearly as good as I am now. Keep practicing and you'll definitely surpass me soon. You're a natural." He looked to the stuffed animal, then couldn't help but laugh. It was Kon, who couldn't make a peep. Thank God.

"Thanks Uryu!"

"Yes, we might have lost some thread, but it's worth it. Especially something of this level. Far better than mere thread. So don't worry about it. And hey, if you feel that bad about losing it, why don't we head over to the fabric store and buy some more of that color."

"Now? Sure!" Yuzu smiled.

Uryu grabbed his wallet then went to Isshin, "Is it okay if Yuzu and I go to the fabric store to pick up some thread? We'll be right back."

"Sure, as long as you don't tell Ichigo that I let you out this late." Isshin cupped his hand over his mouth as though in secrecy, "He wouldn't be too happy about that."

"Okay, Dad." Uryu slipped his shoes on and walked out the door, looking to Yuzu who was close behind.

The fabric shop wasn't far from where he now lived. In fact, it was only a block away.

"Yuzu," Uryu tried to start a conversation.

"Hm?" Yuzu responded.

"Do you really like making clothes that much?"

"Oh, yes! I really do; thanks for teaching me!"

"It was my pleasure. I'm just happy that someone else loves creating just as much as I do."

"Yeah, me too." Her light voice penetrated the quietness.

"I want to tell you something that was never told to me. Something that I had to learn on my own."

"Really? What is it?"

"You may not know that your hobbies influence what kind of person you are. I sew. Many people may see that as bizarre, but it's not really. You know my grandfather was killed right in front of me?"

"What?! I'm so sorry!"

"Don't be. It wasn't your fault. But from that, I was alone. I was a person that learned to depend on only myself. At eight years of age, I was practically living by myself."

"But, that's younger than me! I couldn't imagine living alone at that age!"

"I barely saw my father, but I did live with him at the time. We've never exactly seen eye to eye, but I suppose that's just opinion. I don't think that he even knows what he's doing wrong as a parent."

Yuzu was on the brink of tears, "W-why are you telling me this?"

"I'm sorry. I was just thinking of Ryuken today… I guess the memories kind of surfaced without me thinking about it."

Yuzu walked a little ahead of him, stopped, and turned around. She wrapped her tiny arms around his waist.

"I didn't know that you had such a terrible life. I'm so happy that we adopted you!" her tears seeped through Uryu's shirt, warming his stomach, "I only hope that you're happy now."

Uryu hugged back, "I am happy! Happier than I've ever been. And it's all because of... _my _family. _Our _family, Yuzu." He straightened his back, "But the one thing that I learned on my own is that… you are never alone. Never."

"This… is what you learned?" Yuzu smiled.

Nodding, he walked on and Yuzu followed. They found the store approaching fast. And soon, they entered.

"Hello, Ishida! Is there anything I can do for you today—er- this evening?" asked a lovely, young woman behind the desk. She was dressed in an apron that stopped at her knees.

Yuzu was amazed over the employee's knowledge of him… not by given name, but surname was still pretty impressive.

Uryu smiled, "Good evening, Suzuzaki-san. I'm looking for a specific type of thread. Do you have 'B056D700'?"

Yuzu's eyes grew wide, _He memorized the code? For that one spool of thread? D-does he sit around learning their codes?_

"Oooh, let me check. One second." She turned her head to a computer that had its back turned to them. Without looking up from her research, she asked, "So who's this pretty girl? Is she your cousin? Are you babysitting her?"

"No, this is Yuzu. She's my sister." He answered without hesitation.

Yuzu smiled at her introduction.

"Hello, Yuzu, I am Ninna Suzuzaki… but you can call me 'Suzuzaki-san'." She smiled from behind the screen.

"Suzuzaki-san." Yuzu agreed.

"Ishida, I didn't know you had a sister." She hinted to the questionable subject. She had to be careful. She didn't want to ask too much. She knew his father, Ryuken, and didn't want to ask anything that could harm Uryu.

"I have two sisters and a brother." He said politely.

"Oh, really?! I thought you were an only child! Excuse me!" She spoke nervously.

Uryu smiled and let a single laugh pass his lips, "It's quite fine. Biologically, I am an only child, but I was adopted into the Kurosaki household. Isshin Kurosaki is now my father, and his children are my siblings."

Her eyes drifted over him, "The Kurosaki's? H-how-"

"Odd combination?" Uryu laughed, "I know, but I love it there."

Suzuzaki smiled. She had always liked Uryu, and to know that he was happy was relieving. He was a polite boy, and was smart enough to outwit the most intelligent people. And to top it off, he loved to sew… most unlike other rising men.

So this girl was Yuzu Kurosaki? Kurosaki's youngest daughter. Interesting.

"So, Yuzu, do you like to sew too?" Suzuzaki broke her own questions.

"Oh, yes!" Yuzu brightened, "Very much!"

"Is that so? Well, you're rather young! Where did you learn? Your mother?"

"No," Yuzu looked down for a moment, then returned her gaze, "I learned from Uryu!"

"Did you now? That's wonderful!"

"And she's nearly as good as me… I think she'll give anyone a run for their money!" Uryu smiled.

Suzuzaki was relieved. Every time that she had seen Uryu, he was never this happy. Like, something was crushing his heart. Like… someone was constantly stabbing him with a knife. But now, it was as though he had a new life. A life that he never wanted to lose… and that much was certain just by glancing into his radiant blue eyes.

"Well, look what we have here! One spool of 'B056D700' left. And I can see why! What a pretty blue!" she glowed, "Let's see here."

She swiftly left the room and returned in a matter of moments. She placed on the counter an exact duplicate of what Yuzu had lost. The blue thread… a beautiful, light blue that Uryu had always used for the Quincy uniforms that he made. Not that he would tell Yuzu that. It was his favorite of all of his threads. He used it and replaced it so many times that he memorized its code. The only one that he knew by heart. So it was really no problem when Yuzu had lost it.

Uryu paid and politely departed, wishing Suzuzaki-san a good evening.

"Wow, Uryu, you must go there often!" Yuzu stated.

"Yeah, I suppose I do… I guess it is odd when the store manager knows your name."

"She was the store manager?! She's really nice!"

"Isn't she? She's married with kids… but you may not know it to look at her."

"Whoa! She looks a little young!"

"Yes, but I believe it. Teenagers can make some wrong decisions sometimes… but I suppose it's all in how you are raised. However, she is older than you think. She's 36."

"I thought she was a teenager!" Yuzu shouted in shock, "How does she look that young?"

Uryu shrugged.

* * *

><p>It wasn't long before they returned home. They snuck back to Uryu's room, as to not alert Ichigo that they had even left.<p>

"Thank you, Uryu!" Yuzu bowed to him.

"Hmph, we have a problem, Yuzu." Uryu sighed and plopped into the chair next to his sewing machine.

"W-what?! What's wrong?!"

"Karine says that siblings aren't allowed to bow to each other. So, I'm terribly sorry, but I must decline your politeness—er—unnecessary kindness." He smirked.

Yuzu giggled a bit, "So, what were you working on, Uryu? Those are pretty colors… it is a dress? Sort of futuristic… blue and white."

Uryu smiled at his sister, "It's not finished, but it's a uniform… I guess you could call it a costume." He didn't dare pick it up to show her. It was a Quincy uniform that he had been working on. He was very cautious, so although she knew not of Quincys, he treated the subject as though she could connect the dots fairly easily.

"That's really cool! And you're not using a pattern? I hope that I can be as good as you someday!"

"Oh, that day will be soon! You're a natural!"

Yuzu once again wrapped her arms around Uryu, "Thank you, my big brother."

Uryu's heart froze, and then skipped every beat. He was finally accepted into a family that loved him. A family that cared. He was so touched that a person like him could be loved. A person that had never been shown love; that had never been cared for. Uryu supposed at one time he had been loved. By the mother that he never met… and the grandfather that was practically killed by Soul Reapers. Everyone that had ever loved him had left… and then, he felt hated. As though life couldn't get any worse. But the only person to ever catch that was Isshin Kurosaki. Isshin was the man who took him in so _easily_; adopted him so _quickly._ Acted as the father that he never had. And above all else: he gave Uryu a purpose to keep living.

"I love you, Uryu." Yuzu hugged tighter, "Thank you for being a brother that I'm proud to say I have. Both you and Ichigo."

A lowly tear slid down Uryu's cheek, "I, too, am proud to have you as a sister, Yuzu. You, Karine, _and _Ichigo as a brother as well. I never want to lose this new life that I hold as a _prize_. That I treasure _so dearly_."

Yuzu could hear the crying in his voice, and felt the warm tear as it touched her arm. She released her grip and backed away smiling. Reaching her tiny hand to Uryu's face, she wiped the tear away and spoke softly, "Come now, everything's going to be fine. Life is looking up, and this is only the start of yours. Spend it wisely and you'll do wonderful things. I just know it!"

Those mere sentences. The sentences that would change his life drastically. Maybe not soon… or perhaps even against his knowledge, but those four sentences would prove worth something; they would prove to Uryu that his life was just beginning. They would also prove that Ryuken was wrong when he said Uryu had no talent.

* * *

><p>Ichigo opened his eyes to Saturday. To his surprise, Uryu hadn't tried to wake him up yet like he usually had. Or maybe he did…<p>

Eh, who cares? Ichigo was awake now.

He placed his feet on the ground and sat on his bed. Squinting as though difficult to keep his eyes open, he stood. His balance was a bit off being that he just woke up. Tilting to the side, he rubbed his head and took a few steps. Reaching the kitchen was no difficult task, for it was probably his favorite place in the house. He plopped in a seat and tiredly gazed over Yuzu and Karine who where starring at him.

"Where's Uryu? Is he still asleep?" Yuzu asked cheerfully.

"I don't know… I don't think he tried to wake me up this morning." Ichigo looked at the individual grooves in the kitchen table.

"Well, that's weird…" Yuzu snapped her head to the toaster that had just popped with crisp bread.

Ichigo smirked, "Well, I think I'll get him up this time."

"Don't hurt him!" Yuzu cried after the disappearing Ichigo.

Ichigo knocked on Uryu's door, but there was no answer, so he entered. To his amazement, Uryu was still sleeping. Face first on his desk by his sewing machine. In his hand, he held tight to loose, white fabric that was connected to the sewing machine's thread. His free arm acted as a pillow for his head.

_He must have fallen asleep while working on something. He didn't even take his glasses off. _Ichigo thought awkwardly. He found Uryu's sewing hobby strange and out of place. Especially in this house. So to see him so dedicated to such a… _odd_ pass-time was… he supposed _embarrassing_. Yes, he was embarrassed of this quality that Uryu possessed. He also thought it strange for him to have taught Yuzu. Of course she would eventually learn such things… but from her _brother_? Weird.

In any case, Ichigo disregarded this fact. He walked to Uryu's side and shook his shoulder, "Yo, Uryu. Wake up."

Uryu turned his head away from Ichigo as Ichigo shook him harder and now shouted the command for him to awaken, "Hey! Wake up! Uryu!"

Ichigo yanked Uryu's arm out from under his head, and Uryu's head hit the desk with force.

His eyes snapped open and he jolted upward, ungracefully landing to the ground along with the chair tipping to it's side. He sleepily rubbed his now goose-bumped head, "Dammit, Ichigo! Isn't there a better way to wake a person up?!"

Ichigo stuck his nose in the air, "I tried to get you up already. You just turned away. Be grateful I woke you up in the first place."

Uryu stood and sighed, "Sorry… I guess I overslept."

"Yeah, no kidding." Ichigo smirked sarcastically.

Automatically Uryu perked up at the sight of the sunlight through his window, "We're having a picnic today, aren't we?"

"Sadly." He looked away.

"Lighten up, will you?! You're really obnoxious when you pull crap like that."

"I know. That's why I do it. But on the other hand, I guess it won't be_ that _bad."

Uryu rolled his eyes, "Finally seeing it my way?"

* * *

><p>The doorbell sounded and Isshin answered, revealing Orihime Inoue and Chad Sado. As Isshin invited them in, he called Uryu and Ichigo to greet them.<p>

Promptly, the reunion rang.

"Uryu!" Orihime put her hand over her mouth and leaned in, "Are you feeling okay today?"

Uryu blushed, "Eh—Oh—um—y-yes, I'm fine."

Orihime smiled with closed eyes, "Well, that's good to hear!"

"Ichigo," Chad started, "Do you have your badge?"

Uryu smirked and pushed his glasses up. Chad had the same thought he was thinking of just yesterday. Ichigo would be clumsy enough to forget his badge.

"Yeah, why?" Ichigo remarked.

"Well, it's just that—all of this Spiritual Pressure gathered in one place could possibly be a bad thing." He stated.

"In other words," Uryu started, "we could be acting as a bowl of bait for a giant hollow, or Arrancar/Espada for that matter."

"I don't want to hear you say 'bait' and 'hollow' together ever again, alright?" Ichigo slapped his hand to his face, thinking of the thousands of hollows that Uryu once called upon with his hollow bait. The ones that reeked havoc on Karakura Town.

Uryu rolled his eyes, "One time…"

"One time too many!" Ichigo roared. For a moment, he had thought of the time that seemed so distant when he actually met Uryu Ishida.

He had used the hollow bait and summoned hollows to see who the superior fighter was. Or, for that matter, superior race. It only brought up a bonding memory… but he was easily angered by Uryu since he started living in Ichigo's house. Sinister thoughts poisoned his respect and memories. Just the simplest things seemed to set him off.

"Em, Guys?" Orihime tried.

They snapped their heads towards her.

"Please don't." She smiled nervously, "How about we take a break from our differences for a day?"

Ichigo crossed his arms as Uryu put his hands on his hips. They turned from each other. Though they were brothers now and the fighting toned down a bit, they still had small side-arguments every once in a while. But, hey, didn't every set of siblings? Besides, they were pretty good with peace for being enemies and all.

Orihime laughed.

"What's so funny?!" They asked simultaneously.

"You two fight over the funniest things! You really are true friends. I wish I could entertain people like you two do. You know, with Tatsuki."

Ichigo raised his eyebrows and Uryu pushed his glasses up.

Smiling, Uryu said, "I'm glad we entertain you so, Orihime."

Ichigo slapped Uryu's shoulder as Uryu turned around with a punch. His aim slipped and hit Ichigo in the chest.

Coughing and rubbing the bruising patch of skin, Ichigo smiled, "You have horrible aim."

Uryu pushed his glasses up, "Say that again and I'll show you some 'aim'." He pointed to his Quincy cross.

At this statement, they all broke into hysterical laughter.

* * *

><p>Yuzu smiled from behind the closed door. She fought back tears as she listened to their laughing. Resisting the urge to make herself known to them, she thought of how selfish she was being.<p>

She looked to the ground and thought of Uryu. Her brother. He was having a good time without her. She could hear him laughing and felt jealous. She wanted Uryu all to herself. If Yuzu was completely honest with herself, Uryu was the only one that she could talk freely to. Ichigo was always busy and away for days at a time, but at least Uryu was gone… _less_. She didn't trust her secrets with her father… and it seemed as though Karine didn't care much. Yuzu _knew_ they were a family… but there was an emptiness that could never really be filled by anyone. That gap that her mother left her.

Thinking about it always brought a tear upon her eyes. But it would never fall.

And Uryu was her savior. He talked to her and showed her how to sew. Something that she loved. It was almost as though he filled the gap completely as he patched her heart with discrete techniques. He talked to her and provided her with a second brotherly love. She never wanted this amazing thing to be taken away from her. She had had such a fun time hanging out with him last night.

But it was like he had completely forgotten about it. This day erased the day of yesterday... or night perhaps.

And now… she felt like he was slipping away. She couldn't say that she's ever witnessed how Uryu looks surrounded by friends. And the same goes for Ichigo in that case. But it _felt_ like she was no longer wanted. Entirely forgotten and left alone.

Like… her mother.

And the tear finally fell to moisten the ground.

* * *

><p>Everything was packed in backpacks that could easily be carried to newer destinations. Yuzu, of course carried all of the food that she had prepared, and Karine carried the equipment to play soccer. Ichigo had offered to carry the blanket to sit on. It was pretty big and heavy at that. Of course, it had to be to fit that many people comfortably.<p>

It was but another beautiful day. The birds where chirping a symphony, and the butterflies where flapping and fluttering their wings as they landed on intricately detailed flowers. There was not a cloud in the sky, and the sun reached its arms of rays to the vibrantly green grass which contained specks of yellow buttercups. Spring was approaching fast and that much was certain. It was the end of February, and March wanted to come earlier, for it was as though it could not wait at all.

But could you really blame it?

"Ichigo, wait up!" Orihime called from behind him.

Ichigo turned and smiled to her, pausing for her to catch up.

Orihime smiled and ran, "Thanks," she giggled.

* * *

><p>If there was a day more perfect than the one in which they had partaken, it wouldn't exist.<p>

Uryu finally realized what it was like to have a great time, while in the same time having a new family who loved him.

That night, Uryu laid in his bed, thinking of all of the events. He was exhausted, yes, but it was the good kind of exhaustion. The kind that consisted of memory and sentimental pleasure. And for the first time in his life, he smiled at his memories.

He closed his eyes and fell asleep, dreaming of this life he now lived.

**Conclusion**


End file.
